*Cindarelly Cindarelly ...

Family bridal shower tomorrow. So Excited. Mom asked me to try and keep the house clean while she's gone. Impossible. I have a 19 yr old jobless brother. Who has friends. I ask him to the dishes, he says yes. I beg him to do the dishes, he says yes. I come home at ten o'clock and the dishes still aren't done. Who knew. I do the dishes. All of them. Sweep the floor. Do some laundry. Do a few more chores and then decide that midnight is time for bed.

Tonight I felt like this.I'm not ready for a teenage boy with friends.
My Mom is one tough cookie.
My hero.
I miss her.

Window of Opportunity (Off Season)

Just a reminder/admonishment as spring is blooming to stop and smell the roses.... the window of opportunity for ideas and refreshment will soon be closing for many high school staffs in the coming weeks.

What am I talking about? Spring football at your local college or university.

As discussed earlier ( Amateurs talk strategy, professionals talk logistics. ) visiting practice of a program, any program, outside of your own can do worlds of good for improving your process. Regardless of scheme or philosophy, taking a step back to see HOW others do what they do, may make more of dramatic impact than hearing about WHAT others are doing. Don't watch plays, watch players and how their coaches interact with them. Watch how practice is structured, observe how communication is handled, how coaches handle good and bad situations.... the devil is in the details. Don't just show up on the field, talk with the coaches and student assistants away from the game, sit in on their meetings, and take the time to build a relationship with the staff.

Vertical Set

walk backwards.

There, you did it. Thats all there is to the "vertical set".
"Vertical Set" as it relates to Air Raid protection is just that, a replacement to the kick-slide. It is a vertical withdrawal from the line of scrimmage where you do not chase rushing defenders, but wait for them to engage you at your anchor point. This allows offensive linemen to remain square (preventing an easy loss by turning the shoulders and improper leverage in the pocket). When rushing the passer, the first step for a defender is to reach the blockers hips and gain leverage (by getting the blocker to open up a gap through turning, or by the defender getting at the same horizontal plane of the blocker). Because the blocker is moving away from the defender at relatively the same speed, he is prolonging the time it will take for the defender to execute an escape move (get past protection and get to the the quarterback/launch point).

Though, it does require a modicum of athleticism (moreso than a kick-slide), anyone can perform it and be better off for it (because of the increased speed of their retreat versus a kick).

The distinct advantage is that because you are retreating at a faster pace, you buy more time before engaging rushers. This allows the line to keep everything in front of them (twists, stunts, angles, etc) and confidently pickup threats to the launch point. This was previously addressed here as well as here (protection with prepractice work) and video of Oline work.

The main coaching point required is to keep the 5 linemen at the same level or horizontal plane. To do this, you simply need to rep the steps (inside, outside, inside, outside) with an emphasis on the first step explosion. Each stride should equal out to roughly a yard. Referencing the previous Louisiana Tech posts, you'll see there should be plenty of video to see examples.

This is why Air Raid teams work so much on the agility ladder (see previous posts here and here ).

** UPDATE:
Examples of LTU using the vertical set

Mr T

Meet Tomahawk.

I wanted to get Colby a fish for Easter. He was a little hesitant at first but I told him he could name him whatever he wanted and slowly he warmed up to the idea. We hit PetCo late last week and after a lot of choices, we found our little guy. We're really excited to have our first pet. We're also excited that he's easy going and doesn't take much work.
We love our little Tomahawk!

Mrs. C

I'm getting married in 3 1/2 weeks. We've been engaged for 9 Months.I can't believe it's really coming. Soon. & Fast. It feels like just yesterday that we decided not to get married in November because We knew Colb needed to quit his job & find something else. I can't wait to have him home for the summer. We've learned a lot and we're ready for whats next. Mr and Mrs.
I'm anxious to have the wedding plans finished & see it all together. Just a few more weeks!

The smile Colby puts on my face is my favorite.

Lincoln T.

I had the chance to hang out with one of my favorite nephews last week and we had so much fun. I can't believe how fast he is growing up.
Oh he cracks me up! I love my Linc
I couldn't get him to smile or even pay attention because one of his favorite shows was on but this was the best I could get.

Tanzania: Godlisten's Story

Meet Godlisten S. Mkonyi

"After I reached the top (Uhuru Peak) of Kilimanjaro for the first time, it gave me confidence that 'impossible' is just an option.  With that I am always trying hard to help others make their wish." -Godi

Godlisten S. Mkonyi (Godi) is an experienced mountain guide who has been working with the Zara Adventure and Safaris Company for the last 13 years.  He went through 5 years of training before he earned the title of mountain guide.

Godi, 35, was born in Marangu villiage, Tanzania and is part of the Chagga Tribe.  He is married with 2 children.

Godi has made it possible for many people to successfully reach the top of Mt Kilimanjaro.

As a guide, Godi plans expeditions and instructional sessions that are appropriate for the individual skill level and ability of each client and makes sure all necessary equipment and supplies are gathered.  As he leads the group on the expedition he also provides information on local vegetation, wildlife and natural history and administers first aid services if they are needed.

Imagine seeing this view as part of your job!!

The life of a mountain guide on Kilimanjaro is a difficult one.  They work for a low base wage and rely on tips for an important portion of their income.  The mental and physical strain on their bodies is incredible and they gain a connection with the mountain that is like none other.  There is a deep care and concern for protecting and maintaining the mountain's delicate environmental balance.

 If "climbing Kili" is on your list, be sure to choose the right person to guide you.  "I assure all that there’s no regret after climbing Kilimanjaro as its a magic and beautiful place to be and always, Zara Adventure and Safaris and I will assure your safety. " -Godi

*To Do ...

Things On my 'To-Do' list this week:
*Print Labels
*Stuff Envelopes
* Order Flowers
* Shower
* Attend my own Bridal Shower
* work
* Do Laundry
*Buy a new car
*Get invites in the mail
*Attend Colb's mission reunion *Figure out how to fit our family of 70ish into a room that holds 60 at the temple.
*Watch conference.
*Eat Easter Candy
*write more Thank You cards
*Remind Colby that I Love him
*Feed our new fish
*Blog about our first pet
*Smile
*Tear a few links off our paper chain
*Watch a movie that makes me laugh til I cry *Countdown the days til the Peterson fam gets here
*Jam to Miley C in the car full blast
*Tickle Colb til he cries uncle
*Drink more water
*Move a few more things
*Find shoes for the wedding
*Give myself a pedicure
*Enjoy being engaged
*Eat healthy*Pray for rain
*Worry about wedding stuff that hasn't made the list
There You have it. The list of things I would love to accomplish this week. The chances of most of these being crossed off? Not good but they made the list already so they have some sort of importance. kind of.
If and when I finish???


Can't Wait ....

Clarification

Thanks for the comments to my previous post. I just want to clarify a couple of points that I did a poor job of explaining. The thrust of my initial post was that at the major college level AirRaid teams have cut to the chase; that is, they have reduced the number of fronts they practice against. My point was that this may be a luxary that HS programs cannot afford. The reason being that they are more likely to encounter the traditional set of base fronts that Franklin covers in his seminars. So, the upshot of this is that coaches cannot simply jettison these more "prosaic" fronts in order to get to the Nickel stuff that college programs attack right at the beginning of the teaching and installation program.

For what its worth, what LaTech is doing in this regard is really nothing new. Texas Tech started to treat everything as a some type of Nickel front about two years ago. They also stopped distinguishing between 90 and 60 vertical sets, which are different sets because they rely on different post and anchor legs.

My next post, which I hope to have up later this week, will build on some points that Chris Brown has talked about on his Blog regarding the place of spread offenses in the culture of college and high school football.

Tanzania: Extension of Stay

The Tanzania tourist visa for U.S. citizens is issued for multiple entries for a period of 12 months from date of issue, provided the passport remains valid, for a period of stay not to exceed 30 days on each entry.

Once in Tanzania, a limited extension of stay may be obtained from the Immigration Department, Ministry of Home Affairs, P.O. Box 512, Dar es Salaam, phone: 211-8636, 211-8363, 211-8642.

Requests for long-term residency (beyond four months) must be requested at the Tanzanian diplomatic mission in the traveler's home country. Any conversion from business/ tourist status to permanent resident will not be granted while you are in Tanzania.

If you are visiting Tanzania as a student, please consult with your school for extension of stay.

Method to the Madness

c/o Shreveporttimes.com

It's just Sonny Dykes' way of ensuring his players become members of the Good Hands Club.

On every stop in his coaching tenure, dating to his days at Kentucky with Hal Mumme, Dykes has used a tennis ball delivery machine to chunk balls at his receivers, defensive backs and quarterbacks. Offensive coordinator Tony Franklin was happy to see one show up in Ruston.
"The places I've been we haven't been able to afford one," he said a little tongue in cheek. "Sonny has had them and they do make a difference."

The idea is simple. Shooting the small ball at a high rate of speed toward a student-athlete requires the ultimate in concentration. Look away or get lost in your thoughts and the ball will likely bounce off your nose.

Louisiana Tech is now using an electronic tennis ball machine to teach players how to better concentrate on the football. We asked three current Bulldogs how they would rate the machine's help, based on other assistance they've seen in their career.
They rated it 1-10 with 10 being the most helpful.
Terry Carter: 9; Phillip Livas: 10; Colby Cameron: 9

be sure to check out previous LA Tech postings here

Sometimes the Higher you Go the Simpler Things Get

I just want comment briefly on some points that Brophy made earlier regarding LaTech's protections. From my perspective, the greatest insight to be gleaned from what LaTech is doing is that the AirRaid (and I use the term simply as a type of critical shorthand here) has become exponentially simplified, perhaps even reductive as it has evolved at the college level.

That the AirRaid has become even more streamlined in recent years is no surprise. All systems, in particular languages, possess a teleological desire to simplify themselves for their users. The AirRaid is no exception to this rule, especially in regards to protection. Since most AirRaid teams have by now evolved into pure one-back figurations within some type of a detached four hot environment the protections now only deal with defensive reactions elicited by either 2x2 or 3x1 alignments. As Brophy has noted, this exponentially reduces the number of reactions a defense will most likely respond with; moreover, they are all known quantities.

Now, all of this is pretty simple and straightforward. What I would now like to spend the rest of this piece discussing is why LaTech and other programs can afford to be so reductive in their approach to protection and why High School programs that employ this offense should be leary of following their lead. At the college level, it is a given that any team that runs this offense can throw the ball and protect the passer. In other words, defensive coordinators do not doubt their counterparts' basic competency in this area. Consequently, depending on whether they are an odd or even front team, they are going to run some type of a nickel or stack scheme. By nickel here I am not just talking about 5 defensive backs. Texas last year played with three linebackers most of the game against TTech, but they were aligned in various nickel looks. As a result, when an AirRaid team goes into Spring Practice the first front they throw up on the white board is something in the nickel or odd-stack family. They no longer scheme against base 4-3s, 3-4s, 4-4s, 50s, etc because they will NEVER see them. They then can focus all their time on technique and sorting.

But can high school coaches afford to be so reductive in their approach to protection, at least schematically? My answer is no. Maybe in certain regions of the country, such as in Texas or in the South where Spring ball is permitted, teams that run the AirRaid will have the time to develop the mastery required to elicit such basic looks; however, my experiences suggest that the first thing a HS DC will do in most situations is present you with some type of a base look and pressure the living heck out of you until you prove that you can throw the ball with ease. As a result, HS teams still need to be prepared to protect base fronts, which makes the job of the HS line coach, ironically, more difficult than that of his college counterpart.

THANK YOU FOR THE WARM WELCOME

Thank you, Brophy, for the warm and generous introduction. I look forward to engaging readers and sharing ideas with them so that we may all further our knowledge and appreciation of not only football, but also of other equally interesting topics as well.

If anybody cares to know a bit more about me, my interest, and my background - please take a look at my profile.

I promise not to swamp Brophy's excellent blog - one of the true jewels for people wishing to know more about football.

I will make my first post later tonight or tomorrow morning. This post will comment on some of things that Brophy has observed from his recent visits to LaTech's first spring practice under Sonny Dykes.

*Chef Mom ..

I've probably already mentioned that my Mom is giving me yet another wedding of my dreams. What I didn't tell you is that Mom is doing most of the work. Including the desserts which are going to be the reason people come to the reception anyway right??
She found a crazy cupcake recipe book in Cali and she's been cooking ever since. Our house all smells delicious and usually we're crowded around the kitchen waiting for permission to jump in.
I've been sick with some crazy virus the last few days so I haven't had the appetite or the stomach to try the pina colada, strawberry pop, or the root beer cupcakes but I'm told they are incredibly delicious. I've never wanted to get over something so quick.
It's almost torture to lay in my bed for hours and hours a day being waited on hand and foot.
"The juice you asked for is right here Lib."
"We didn't have the soup you wanted to so I ran to the store, it's almost done."
"Is there anything I can get for you?"
Everytime my bedroom door opens I can smell the next item on the list of 'Must Try.'
This appetite will return, I'm sure of it. And then .. Watch out Kitchen, I'll be all over you!
My Mom is the absolute best.

New Addition

If you're reading this blog, your IQ should go up a full 50 points once you see the latest improvementto the blog - Hemlock.

http://smartfootball.com/dialogue/thoughts-on-the-spread-offense-hemlocks-comment

Long time contributor to CoachHuey and Smartfootball.com, Hemlock's diverse background, grounded perspective, and rich knowledge of the game will make for some insightful and educational reading.

TEMPO CHECK

Expounding on previous themes of dictating the course of a game on offense through varying tempo speeds, this time by way of Iowa State and their OC, Robert McFarland.

With similarities to the previous Blake Anderson post on multiple speeds, Iowa State attempts to keep a defense off balance with hard cadences at a no-huddle pace. This is predicated on three sideline signal callers (assistant coaches or graduate assistants).

• One signaller is designated to provide the personnel groupings, tempo, and formation.
• The next signal coach will be responsible for relaying the play call.
• The last signaller will be relaying a dummy call (that may or may not include actual signals used) to discourage signal-stealling from opponents.

The sideline will provide the information in this sequence:

1. Huddle / no huddle
2. Tempo: Able/Baker/Charlie
3. Motion & Formation
4. Play Call

The following will detail the process in which they operate this tempo. Once the ball has been whistled dead, the offensive line rushes to get set at the new ball spot. The specialists, particularly the tight end / fullback, will look to the sideline to see what personnel grouping will be included in the upcoming play. This will determine if they remain in the game, or if their particular personnel grouping dictates that they come off the field on this play.

With the appropriate players in the game, the formation and motion will be signalled in. Players keep their eyes on the first signal caller (and disregard the others) until the given formation is set.

Once set, the specialists will look to get the play call. Only the specialists know the play signals, the linemen only know the tempo calls (and rely on the audible call of the quarterback for the play call).

The Cyclones operate at three different speeds; able, baker, and charlie.
Intuitively, these simply note what sound the play will be run on (on 1, on 2, on 3rd count).

ABLE

Able is ISU's simple, no-huddle, first-sound tempo. No plays will be checked and all plays will be snapped on the first sound in the cadence.

The players will race to the ball spot, see the "Able" tempo in use, get set and receive the play call. The quarterback gives the play call twice "44.....44" (inside zone to the right) and the line will put their hand in the ground ready to play ball. The quarterback initiates the cadence, "Set.....Hit!", the ball is snapped, and the players race to the next ball spot and repeat the (sideline signal) procedure.

Video examples of first sound cadence being run by ISU.

ALPHA CHECK @ Yahoo! Video

BAKER

Rather simply, everything is the same as "ABLE" speed with the exception that the offense will review with the sideline/Offensive Coordinator before continuing the snap cadence (this is Blake Anderson's "OC" tempo). The coordinator now has the option to change the original play call or 'green light' the first call (and execute the original call).

As an example, the pre-snap to snap audible would sound like;
"Right – right – baker –baker" [ formation + tempo] called by quarterback
"8 man 8 man" [front ID] called by center
"indy girl – indy girl " [play call (iso lead to the right) ] called by quarterback
"set..... hit!" [cadence]

The specialists would then look to the sideline (tight end would stand up out of stance and look to sideline). From here, the play can be checked (based on alignment, pre-snap look presented by the defense) or the original play ("indy girl") can be continued. If the former, the play would be called out and repeated by the quarterback and he would go through the cadence. If the latter, he would declare a "green" call ("green, green") and go through the cadence (running the original play called).
Video examples of "Baker".

BRAVO CHECK @ Yahoo! Video


CHARLIE

Obviously, not a call used much (I couldn't find any clips where this was utilized, and McFarland admits he rarely uses it), but the practice is in their repetoire. When Charlie tempo is declared, the first call will always be a dummy play call signal, followed by a "green" call. The key here is to lull the defense into jumping the second count and or getting them to show their hand (with two previous attempts at baiting them) of what their post-snap intentions (coverage/blitz) are.

An example would sound like:
"left – left – charlie –charlie" [ formation + tempo] called by quarterback
"8 man 8 man" [front ID] called by center
"Hawkeye boy – Hawkeye boy " [play call ("hawkeye" is a dummy call, go figure) ] called by quarterback
"set..... hit!" [cadence]

Players stand up and look to sideline and receive a different call.

"Oakland boy – Oakland boy " [play call (option left) ] called by quarterback
"set..... hit!" [cadence]

Players freeze, look up again to the sideline and receive the confirmation (of the previous play called) or a check (in this example, a check).

"Indy girl – Indy girl" [play call (iso lead right) ] called by quarterback
"set..... hit!" [cadence]

Tanzania: Airports

There are over 40 different Airports located in Tanzania. Julius Nyerere International Airport (DAR), the airport serving Dar es Salaam, is about 8 miles from the city, the journey being about 30 minutes. Taxi services are available and the larger hotels organize shuttle services. A car hire, post office, banking /currency exchange facilities, and restaurants are all available at this Airport.

Mt. Kilimanjaro Airport is the 2nd airport in Tanzania and in spite of its small size, the airport can accommodate planes as large as the Boeing 747. The airport is located about 30 minutes from Arusha, and about 45 min from Moshi. KLM airlines and British Airways are the only two companies that fly directly to Kilimanjaro. Included are all the modern amenities that larger airports have: restaurants, money/exchange banks, shopping areas, business class lounges as well as VIP.

As with every trip you take it is best to plan in advance. Depending on where you are going and what you have planned here is a list of all the airports in Tanzania.

*Click ..

My sister slipped me her sweet iphone the other night while we enjoyed family time at Tony's pizza. She had found a blog post that made her think of me and she knew I had to read it. As I did so, the noise of the 81 people (I believe that's that max occupancy) around me seemed to fade away. I read and read and silently wished that the post would never end.
I've never read Cjanerun. In fact, the slacker that I am, I've never heard of her or her blog. I was captivated by so many things in the blog post. 1. The teeny tiny details 2. The depth. 3. How close it was to my own story 4. #3 again.
Towards the end I heard Abby talking to me, As I looked up at her, she told me the post might make me cry. We then made eye contact and she could see the tears rolling down my face. We both just smiled.
I was kind of freaked out when I started telling Colb the story and realized just how close our stories really are. I went to leave a comment because you all know how much I love your comments but.. 201 people had already left one. So I Didn't.
I dare you to read CJaneRun's story. It's incredible. If I only I could share my own story the way she does. Maybe someday. Click Here For Cjane's story and you can leave your opinion about the post on my blog .. I can usually manage to get through 4-5 comments.

Tanzania: A Brief History

The history of Tanzania is filled with stories of struggle and triumph, victory and peace. Tanzania has a long history of human habitation. Some of the earliest hominoid (human) fossils in the world were discovered in Olduvai Gorge and show records of hominoid habitation in the region going back at least 3 million years!
Little is known of the history of Tanganyika's (formerly known) interior during the early centuries of the Christian era. The area is said to have been occupied originally by ethnic groups using a click-tongue language. Some of these groups had well-organized societies and controlled widespread areas by the time the Arab slavers, European explorers, and missionaries entered the interior in the first half of the 19th century.

Years of socialism left the country as one of the poorest, the least developed and the most aid-dependent in the world. From the mid 1980s Tanzania's GDP per capita has grown and poverty has been reduced.

Bet you didn’t know….

• Tanzania is the largest country in East Africa with a land area of 945,097 Square Kilometers – over 4 times the size of Great Britain. 
• The Coconut Crab which inhabits the waters off Zanzibar's Chumbe Island is the largest crab in the world!
• Didn’t think lions could climb trees? Lake Manyara National Park in Tanzania is home to unique tree-climbing lions. They climb to the uppermost portions of the enormous Acacia trees in the area, and spend their days languishing on the branches which are some seven or eight meters above the ground.
• The world’s second deepest lake, Lake Tanganyika is in western Tanzania.
• Kilimanjaro's last eruption was over 200 years ago!!

Power Q - G

After installing stretch (flame/fire give), speed option, draw, and power, the QB run "power Q - G" was thrown at the defense out of trips.

"Trips Right - Power Q Right - G"

C & BST aggressively kick out (set to reach) to their landmarks, like they would for playside stretch. PSG & PST look to combo up to the MLB, getting vertical on the shade defender to create room for the folding BSG (in C gap). The BSG exits with a skip-pull to remain lateral and pick up any trash on his way to the POA.

The backfield action looks exactly like stretch (flame read), but the F sticks it on the second step and attacks the PSDE for a kick out. The key to power is patience, especially because the initial lateral movement that mimics stretch (anticipated because the back is aligned opposite). You will be able to see Power Q - G in the clips of inside drill in the previous posts.

What I liked about this play the most was that it was a such a strong play into trips with the Y banging hard on the inside-box defender (Will). Again, this stem would look exactly like Y Cross ("a hard run towards home plate" aimed at the hole linebacker), with the exception of the Y engaging and moving the linebacker out. Even without prototypical 'mobile' quarterbacks, this play always could garner yards because of the displacement of run defenders from the box (by alignment to trips).

Trips Right - Cross - H Follow

Trips Right - Stick Right - H Out

Additional
Heading out early on Friday morning, I figured why not stop off in Grambling to visit the new Eddie Robinson Museum that just opened 4 weeks ago. The signs/advertisments are all over the state and he was a helluva coach.....I should check this out....

http://www.robinsonmuseum.com/

Well, uh, it ain't done yet.......... :(

Tanzania: Where to Stay

Accommodations in Tanzania range from luxury safari lodges and tented camps to 10 dollar-a-night local hotels. Tanzania operates a star rating system, although it does fall below that of what you would find in the U.S or Europe. Generally speaking, assume that a 4-5 star rated hotel will be of good standard. For travelers on a budget, who may be considering a hotel on the lower end of the scale, you are advised to check reviews and blogs before making any commitment.


For the busy traveler, Happy Family Cottage Hostel is conveniently located at the base of Mt. Kilimanjaro. Rooms are comfortable, clean and won’t cost you a pretty penny.

Happy Family Cottage

Located just less of an hour from Dar es Saalam Airport, The Amani Beach hotel is the ideal break for after a safari to relax and enjoy the endless beaches. The rooms are spacious and big enough to fit three beds, so bring the kids too and make it a family adventure.

 Amani Hotel 

B & B’s (bed and breakfasts) are sometimes the cheapest and coziest way to go. Rivertrees Inn in Arusha, sits in 10 acres of natural gardens and farmland. Enjoy the serenity, shady trees, bird watching, and beautiful views of Kilimanjaro and Mt. Meru.

 Rivertrees

* .. Party Time, Excellent.

It's not that I need another reason to celebrate, it's that I have one and I'm taking full advantage of it. One Year ago this very day was just like any other day. I remember little things like ... it was a monday, I worked at ShopKo, and the night was spent staying up way too late talking to Colby about life and how bad I wish things could be a little bit different. We had this conversation a lot but that night it felt different. I knew more than ever that things were better and different and that everything was going to work out in my favor if I would continue to put my faith in the Lord.
I completely disregarded how 'different' the conversation was until I made a phone call two days later that changed my whole life. That phone call was made to the weber county court house. I gave them my case number and asked if there had been any progress made on my case. I then told myself that any news was good news and I would take anything they would give me and make it positive.
I remember the girl on the other end being very sweet and patient. She seemed kind of young and I was almost embarassed that she would find in my file that I was in the process of a divorce at such a young age. I wondered what she was thinking and then I remembered that these things happen all the time. I did everything in my power to make that marriage work and in the end, it wasn't supposed to.
She told me that the case had been processed, the judge had signed off on March 17, and it been put in the computer on March 23rd.
As the tears started rolling down my face she told me to have a good day. I thanked her twice and hung up the phone. One of the techs I work with gave me a hug and told me to take a minute in the back by myself. I called my Mom, My sisters, My brothers, and then Colby.
Colby was just leaving Provo headed for his Cruise. I remember being so grateful that Colby stuck around, that his patients never ended. I can't imagine him not being there through all of it, he was the most amazing friend and listening ear for that last month or so.
I'm amazed at where life has taken me since that early afternoon phone call. I'm a tiny bit nervous to see what's next. Sometimes I tell Colby that with all we've been through, the Lord now knows how tough we are. What on earth could he have in store for us next? I don't know but I'm pretty sure we can handle it together.
Today I will party like it's 2009. Cafe Rio for dinner (My sweet sister brought me this for dinner at Smith's last year and she's agreed to help me make it a tradition) and perhaps some ice cream afterwards.
My family is my whole world and I owe them all that I have. The support and love they've shown me (and continue to show me) is unreal. I can't thank them enough for all that they are and all that they make me want to be. Heavenly Father knew what he was doing when he blessed me with my amazing siblings and Mom who would give me the moon if it was made with real cheese. They are the reason I am who I am today.

Put on your Party hats fellow bloggers ..
Today is a day that shall be celebrated for years and years to come.
I'm inviting you to Party as well because we all know that some of you stalkers :)
have followed me along in this crazy journey called life.

Practice Format

As more follow-up to the previous posts, here is a basic outline of 2-platoon outline of Air Raid implementation (with defense).

DEFENSE



OFFENSE

This may help provide some perspective of the included videos (vis versa).

Here are install/drill examples we used when we installed it last spring:

If any of the Louisiana Tech / Air Raid / Tony Franklin method interests you, I would strongly recommend checking out "the system", at:
http://www.thesystemclinics.com/

Tanzania: currency

The Tanzanian unit of currency is the Tanzanian shilling (tsh’s) which is divided into 100 cents. Bills range from 1 to 10,000 shillings. Although you can bring any amount of foreign currency in to Tanzania, it is illegal to import or export Tanzanian currencies. There are many websites that offer a currency conversion engine and you can also check the Wall Street Journal for currency rates.

Changing money in Tanzania is not a problem in most populated areas. Hotels usually have a worse rate than banks, so you should go to the bank. You may have to wait in line for a bit. Banks in Tanzania are just like banks in the US. Main branches include NBC and Standard Chartered.

ATMs are in most all banks with 24-hour access and give the same exchange rate as the bank. They may require a Visa card. Inquire if there is any additional fee for withdrawing using a Visa debit card.

Major credits cards are accepted such as Mastercard and Visa, however American Express, Discover and Diner Club are often not.

Tips for hotels and lodge personnel are usually included in tour price, but you should still be prepared to tip the staff in smaller camps on Safaris, so carry some cash!!

*Holy Shnikies ...

It's official .. We have ONE month until our big day. Some days I wonder if it will ever get here, other days I feel like it's tomorrow and I'm never going to be ready. Luckily I have sisters and a Mom who are all over the project. I'm trying really hard to care about all the crazy stuff that's left but I think I'm past that point. Plus everyone seems to have enough great ideas to cover the important stuff.
We finished designing our invitations tonight and I couldn't be more excited. They are so awesome. It's a real shame Colb didn't just tell me about his mad computer skills .. they could have been done months ago. Eh, I'm sure he works better with the pressure and stress, I know I do.
We got the keys to our adorable apartment this weekend.
When we picked em up from our friend Sierra, she had the cutest sign for us. I almost cried. I know she has been working on it for a while and it turned out amazing. It says Carter and it couldn't be more perfect. Slowly we're making our little apartment into a home. Did I already say it's adorable? It's Adorable. I LOVE IT! The only thing I would change is that our boxes would be unpacked and we were already moved in. I hate moving. I guess all good things take time right? Colby and I stopped there for just a minute tonight to bring a few things and to take another peak. I'm totally jealous that Colby is moving in before we get married. I had probably better stop by every once and while just in case.
I feel like these next 4 weeks are going to drag but I also feel like there are a million things I have to do before it passes me by. It wasn't until lately that I truly appreciated a 'To Do' list.
About once a week it really hits me that the wedding day is just around the corner. Colby always knows when I'm having this weekly moment because he catches me grinning from ear to ear with a smile that says HOLY SHNIKIES ... We are soooo close!
One month from today and I'll be Mrs. C!

*3lbs ...

Logan and I were on our weekly adventure in Target just a few days ago when I found something that I didn't know I needed it until I found it. Now days I can't imagine living without it. However this particular item does run out and I'm not so sure I'll be able to drive back to my favorite store and just grab it off the shelf. I'm half -( more like 3/4s) tempted to go back and buy all that they have. I better do it before Colby and I combine bank accounts? Eh it's probably not that big of a deal, Colb does know he's marrying a crazy girl right?

I found a 3lb pound bag of Haribo Gummy Bears for $6.50 ..
Someone please tell me that's steal.
Oh who am I kidding ... Steal or not ..
You can always use em for food storage.
Right?

I found this picture when I googled Haribo Gummy Bears ..
I bet this guys wishes he could buy just one 3lb bag instead of lots of little ones.

Air Raid: Ins and Outs and what have you....

Examples of NASCAR (attack tempo) and FREEZE in a 2 minute NASCAR drill. Note the intensity and frantic pace. One Freeze, receivers are to run "GO"s down the field once the ball is snapped. Best case scenario is you get a touchdown, worst case you take the 5-yard penalty.


Prepractice with Receivers and Quarterbacks (notice settle and noose)


1 on 1s, great review for both offense and defense. Offense works one concept throughout.



In pass skelly, working the same concepts over and over:


Inside Run Game


Individuals, coaching up QB and Receiver fade drop out in the red zone (working for space) in man press.

A neat little DB backpedal ladder exercise I spied.....



** If I have time later in the week, I will review some of the more interesting and effective concepts (both run and pass) that were implemented last week.

Air Raid Strip Down

The last two practices were enlightening.

On a personal level, I think it is just what I needed to see to reignite the passion for the game. I am not a guy that believes in pigeon-holing yourself to 'systems' or there being one way to do things in football, but Air Raid, to me (and what it represents) is what I love about the game. It isn't the passing (though I do appreciate it), it is the aggressiveness and organization that I enjoy so much. There aren't any taboo areas to explore - moving the ball and breaking defenses is the only thing that matters.

To best articulate what I'm going to be explaining, the best analogy I could preface this with is the witnessing the difference between the invading force of Normandy and the hard-driving Iraqi Freedom force. Everything is pared down to the smallest, most essential, common-denominator and it is executed at a 100-mph. There is no relenting and there is no settling in a comfort zone, it is always advancing.

The adaptation of Air Raid with the merging of Sonny Dykes and Tony Franklin at Louisiana Tech this year is something to behold. I will provide a basic overview of the recent changes regarding the evolution (what is different) from the recent years as evidenced from Troy-to-Auburn-to-Middle Tennessee-to-now-Louisiana Tech.

Protection
I'll start this first post by out lying the simplicity of protection as utilized OL coach Pete Perot and GA Zach Yenser. The protection on ALL passes is 90s. No differentiating between 5-step and 3-step, it is all vertical set for 4-5 steps. There are no adjustments (except for the obvious lasso/rodeo). Because the linemen are retreating up to a 5-step pocket (5 yards), the QB is expected on 3 step to catch the ball and immediately fire it out to the short receiver.

Cadence
The quarterback does not call the cadence, it is controlled entirely by the center.

The center is at the ready over the ball at all times, calls the front ID, and then waits for a hand-flash from the quarterback to begin the cadence. The center waits in a relaxed position, looking between his legs at the quarterback.

Once signalled, it is just a loud, "ready........ready,hit!". This helps the center get the snap off more effectively (he is controlling it, rather than waiting on another player), as well as put the source of the audible cadence near the rest of the linemen. Also, because he's controlling the cadence, it makes hard-counts (freeze) more effective.

Front Identification
What is also simplified is protection. Rather than making a "nickel" declaration, it has been truncated to just (one-syllable) "nic" making it simpler and faster to deliver the same information. Because everything is either 2x2 or 3x1, so there is no need to get overly complicated, as discussed previously, you really limit just what a defense can do to you.

They treat everything with a zero technique (or simply any front with 3 down linemen) as a "5-0". With any stacked LB look out of a 3-man front, the back will be responsible for the mike and the stacked outside backers are handled by the linemen.

If the 3-man front is in a base front, with both inside linebackers over the guards and overhang players on the edge (ala a 3-4 look), the back is responsible for both and the line will be responsible for the 3 linemen and 2 outside rushers. The general rule is that the OL is responsible for all outside rushers.

Anything with a 4 man front can be handled simply by a nickel call. From here it all can be sorted out with all four linemen picked up plus one backer (opposite of the side the back declares).

That's IT! Nothing else that the line really needs to be aware of.



Here is a little something extra.....prepractice for Oline:


Tempo
The next part I'll touch on is the tempo they operate at.
The most characteristic element to TFS is the balls-to-the-wall nature of it and what that demands from the coaches. They can get so much accomplished because of the tempo they keep and the momentum that it creates.

Here is an example of Inside Drill. Notice everything is being signalled in and the pace at which everything is run.



Another 'new' characteristic is that there are no wristbands. Everything is communicated through signals. These signals are created by the players and they eventually come up with multiple signals to convey the same message (3 different ways to signal '90' protection). From Day 1, all concepts are signalled in, whether it is team, group, skelly, pup, inside-drill, or individuals. Each group (receivers, line, quarterback) have their own coach/GA to look to, so there will be multiple signal callers giving a variety of gestures at once. They begin signalling once the play has ended and DO NOT STOP (signalling) until the ball is snapped.

I've included video of these periods (there are no lulls) to illustrate just what I'm talking about. You can say, "they are always moving" or "they practice fast" but still never come away with understanding what that is supposed to look like. Even in this clip below (during PUP), notice the time from the play ends to the start of the very next play (both resulted in INTs, however).



Think about how something as meticulous as PUP can be (to get everything set up right) and what would happen after a bad throw, how long it would be to set up the next play. Now watch this, and see them setting up as quickly as possible, signalling in the next one, and flying through it.

Verbiage
Everything is stripped down to essentials. The terminology may have more to do with Dykes, but their terms are extremely simple, and they don't use but 2 formations (3x1 and 2x2). So, you end up with "trips left" / "trips right" or "ace" ('dart'). They have special sets, but everything is based off these two formation groupings. During these practices they would hammer home a concept from the start of practice until the end. So you would have quarterbacks and receivers doing prepractice based on "trips left - mesh" and they would condition their warmups with that concept in mind. Moving on to individuals and skelly, they would continue that same theme, "trips left - mesh", and couple it with a tag, "trips left - mesh left - X hook". This was extremely effective, as they would go 3 to 4 groupings deep working the same concept and focusing in on the very critical details of reads and stems of the concept. They were able to get a lot done in very little time because of the pace and amount of coaching/competition involved.

Some additional content can be found here, and I'll see if I can't review some of the effective concepts installed.